Cape Perdido by Marcia Muller.

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“…This stand-alone mystery from the creator of the popular Sharon McCone series draws much of its appeal from its rustic, beautiful Northern California setting. A small tourist community, dependent on fishing and boating, is under siege. A water-exporting company has petitioned the state for rights to literally bag the water from the Perdido River and haul it to drought-plagued communities in the southern part of the state. Tempers are hot, and seasoned environmentalists have stepped in to help the locals fight the commercial interlopers. Suddenly events spin out of control, and two activists disappear. Using the alternating perspective of four characters, Muller teases out the relationship between the present-day struggle and a terrible secret from the past.” – Booklist

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Before the Frost: a Linda Wallander mystery by Henning Mankell; translated by Ebba Segerberg.

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If you like K.C. Constantine, author of Blood Mud and other Mario Balzic mysteries, try Swedish crime novelists Henning Mankell.  For more information on the listen to Steve Palson’s interview on the Nordic crime fiction wave  and npr’s profile of Mankell. – R. Kutler.

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The Return: an Inspector van Veeteren mystery Håkan Nesser; translated from the Swedish by Laurie Thompson.

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If you enjoy Swedish mystery writers, like the classic husband and wife team, Maj Sjöwall and Peter Wahlöö, try the contemporary writer Håkan Nesser, whose earlier work, Borkmann’s Point won the the Swedish Academy of Detection’s best novel award in 1994.  Nesser brings back Chief Inspector Van Veeteren in The Return. – R. Kutler

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And Then You Die: an Aurelio Zen Mystery by Michael Dibdin.

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If you like Alexander McCall Smith, try Michael Dibdin.  “For anyone who has ever contended with the absurdities of organizational life, or has been trapped in a bureaucratic quagmire from which there is no excape, Zen’s daily struggles with Italian officialdom will strike a deep and resonant chord.  Unlike anti-establishment heroes, who are really just idealists in contrarian drag, Zen is perfectly comfortable with corruption…but at the sam time, he can’t resist the lure of an undiscovered fact.  He is the perfect existential hero for a world run by petty bureaucrats on both sides of the law.” – Booklist

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Dead and Gone: an Inspector Luke Thanet Novel by Dorothy Simpson.

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If you like English Police mysteries (like Elizabeth George) try this.  “Inspector Luke Thanet (Once Too Often) puzzles over another classic case of murder: a local barrister’s wife disappears in the middle of a party at her own house and is found dead. Thanet must figure out which of the many who hated her succeeded in killing her.  A sure bet.” – Library Journal   For more mystery picks, try these selections from 
M is for Mystery Bookstore in San Mateo and San Francisco Mystery Bookstore.

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The Immaculate Deception by Iain Pears.

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Whether or not you liked The Da Vinci Code, you may enjoy Iain Pears’ art-themed mystery series.  In The Immaculate Deception, the acting head of Italy’s Art Theft Squad, attempts to track down the thief who stole a politically sensitive painting on loan from a foreign museum, a search that soon becomes a hunt for a killer.  Or check this link for more mystery picks. – R. Kutler

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Pride and Prescience, or, A Truth Universally Acknowledged by Carrie Bebris.

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If you love the world of Pride and Prejudice and you enjoy reading mysteries, try this well-crafted, light read in a series by Carrie Bebris. – R. Kutler

“Charming…Fans of Stephanie Barron’s Jane Austen books will want to check out Bebris’ series debut.” – Booklist

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The Hollow-Eyed Angel by Janwillem van de Wetering.

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This is the 13th in this wonderful Amsterdam cop series following Just a Corpse at Twilight.  The action leads our heroes to Manhattan, but van de Wetering’s Dutch atmosphere lingers. – R. Kutler

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